Shillong, May 10: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) team visited Meghalaya on Thursday and received petitions from various groups opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The Bill sought to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 in order to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan if they entered India illegally to escape religious persecution, even if they do not provide required documents.

BJP MP from Meerut, Rajendra Agrawal who is the chairman of the JPC and his team met representatives of various groups and students bodies from Meghalaya including the North East Students Organisation, a conglomerate of organizations from different states of the North East at the State Convention Centre here.

While the Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People organized a sit-in demonstration near the statue of Khasi freedom fighter, U Kiang Nangbah to oppose the bill, members of the Khasi Students Union assembled in the premises of the State Convention Centre to register their protest against the Bill.

ULFA leader, Anup Chetia and representatives of other organisations participated in the sit in protest organized by the FKJGP.

The Khasi Students Union, Garo Students Union, Hynñiewtrep Youth Council, Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front, Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People, Social Organisations of Meghalaya Against Land Alienation, and other groups and individuals also met the JPC.

Representatives of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) from Tripura also met the JPC team in Shillong. They voiced out their strong opposition against the Bill and handed over a memorandum to the team demanding that the Parliament should not pass the Bill.

Jamu Debbarma, general-secretary of the INPT youth wing told reporters that if the bill is passed to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, “we told the JPC that it is better to bring the Indian army and kill us.”

NESO leaders which include chairman, Samuel B. Jyrwa and adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharya led a big delegation to the JPC team and submitted a petition opposing the bill.

Samujjal said that the bill will turn states in the Northeast a “dumping ground” for illegal Bangladeshis if the bill is implemented.

The NESO said that the bill would defeat the purpose of signing the Assam Accord where March 25, 1971 is cut off year for detection and deportation of foreigners from Assam.

The NESO instead demanded that Inner Line Permit system be introduced for the entire North-eastern region and told the JPC team that constitutional safeguards should be provided to the people of the North-eastern states and federal authority should be granted to the states to assert rights over land and natural resources.

The JPC chairman later told reporters that opinions and views would compiled in a report to will be submitted to Parliament.

The chairman also said that if required, the JPC team would also visit other states in the Northeast apart from Meghalaya and Assam.